Study: Exercise strengthens brain’s resilience to stress

A study by researchers at Emory University in the US has shown how exercise can strengthen the brain's resilience to stress through a protein called galanin.

The research team studied two groups – one which regularly exercised and another which didn't. They then measured anxious behavior in the test subjects 24 hours after an artificially created stressful event.

Those who exercised showed less anxious behavior after the stressful event compared to those that didn't exercise.

The exercise group also had elevated galanin levels in the locus coeruleus (LC), a cluster of neurons in the brainstem involved in the stress response.

Crucially, the amount of time spent exercising correlated with the amount of galanin in the LC, which in turn correlated with the degree of stress resilience.

Read more here: https://www.healthclubmanagement.co.uk/health-club-management-news/Emory-University-exercise-resilience-stress-galanin-/346218